POLITICS: THE STATE OF THE UNION + VIDEO

via CONCRETELOOP.COM by J. Dakar on 1/28/10

On Wednesday, President Barack Obama delivered his first State of the Union, announcing that job creation would be his administration's top priority as well as moving forward with health care reform legislation.

The President, whose approval ratings have dropped about 20 percent since he took office last year, acknowledged his mistakes of the last twelve months, but said he felt strong he could deliver on the promises he made during the campaign:

"I campaigned on the promise of change — 'change we can believe in,' the slogan went. And right now, I know there are many Americans who aren't sure if they still believe we can change — or at least, that I can deliver it. But remember this — I never suggested that change would be easy, or that I can do it alone."

President Obama also called for a three-year freeze on all government spending other than national security and public insurance programs mandated by law like Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security, beginning next year. He also called out the Supreme Court for its reversal last week in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission that would allow a limitless amount of corporate funding in elections; Supreme Court justice Samuel Alito shook his head repeatedly and mouthed the words "not true" while the other justices appeared stone-faced and the rest of the chamber seemed to spring to its feet with applause.

Check out more photos and video of the speech below.

Calling for both parties to work together on the nation's challenges, the President said, "We do not give up. We do not quit. We do not allow fear or division to break our spirit. In this new decade, it's time the American people get a government that matches their decency, that embodies their strength."